Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to physical fitness, more particularly, to nutrient beverage formulations for consumption before and after a physical exercise session.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is well known that the availability of water is critical to the maintenance of plasma volume and regulation of body temperature during exercise, and that carbohydrate availability is necessary for the maintenance of muscle glycogen, the major source of energy for working skeletal muscle. The failure to attended to these requirements of exercise may result in negative effects on performance or detrimental effects on health.
While it is known that the fluids and nutrients that are lost during exercise must be replenished, it is generally assumed that instinctive responses, such as hunger and thirst, are sufficient to prompt an individual to ingest the appropriate fluids and nutrients at appropriate times and in appropriate amount to fulfill the needs of exercise. However, this is not the case. Surveys have disclosed that knowledge of fluid requirements is lacking, even among serious athletes. Moreover, it has been shown that thirst is unreliable for determining how much fluids to drink, or when to drink them. Blunted thirst sensation is known to occur with exercise, and thirst can be quenched before the body completely rehydrates. Fluid losses can accumulate over several days of exercise to produce a state of hypohydration.
While contingent upon the intensity of exercise and the environment in which the exercise is performed, about one liter of water per hour is typically lost in sweat during average exercise, and it is advisable for individuals to deliberately replace such fluids. This is preferably accomplished by both anticipating fluid loss prior to exercise and replacing fluids lost after exercise.
Glucose derived from storage in muscle as glycogen is established to be the major fuel for most types of exercise, and it is advantageous to promote muscle glycogen storage. Carbohydrate replacement soon after exercise has been found to facilitate recovery of muscle glycogen after exercise, and delay of carbohydrate consumption for even two hours after exercise can reduce the rate of recovery by 50%.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,290, application Ser. No. 08/997,406, incorporated herein by reference, points out that single beverage formulations alone fail to accomplish preexercise hydration, rehydration after exercise, and postexercise replenishment of muscle glycogen, and discloses the use of a packaged regimen of preformulated beverages to teach users, enhance convenience, and encourage compliance with these objectives. U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,290 discloses the use of dilute carbohydrate beverages for before exercise and beverages with carbohydrate concentration of greater than about 20% for after exercise. Application Ser. No. 09/429,872 discloses postexercise formulations having a concentration of carbohydrate of greater than about 13% to enhance postexercise muscle glycogen recovery, in accordance with research published subsequent to the Dec. 23, 1997 filing date of U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,290. Not disclosed, however, are formulations for exercise conditions in which the volume of fluid loss is anticipated to be relatively low, such as with exercise of moderate, rather than great, intensity, or exercise performed in environments favorable to fluid conservation.
An object of the present invention is to provide a person with a combination of nutrient beverage formulations and a regimen for their use prior to and after an exercise session lasting approximately one hour or less.
Another object is to provide a person with a combination of nutrient beverage formulations formulated to enhance performance during an exercise session and to reduce the detrimental physiological effects of the exercise after the session.
Yet another object is to provide a person with a combination of nutrient beverage formulations preformulated to work together in an optimal fashion by application of scientifically-derived data.
A further object is to provide a person with a combination of nutrient beverage formulations that is convenient and simple to use.
The present invention includes a regimen that comprises two different formulations containing fluids and nutrients and a program for use of the formulations before and after an exercise session. Each formulation is designed for the needs of a different phase of exercise and for compatibility with each other, something that is outside of the expertise of an ordinary user.
The present invention teaches a method and device for instructing a user, enhancing convenience, and encouraging compliance with exercise supplementation, which employs a hydrating preexercise beverage, a hydrating and muscle glycogen replenishing postexercise beverage, and indicia and instructions for coordinating the use of such a regimen. The preexercise beverage has a carbohydrate concentration of not more than about 9%, and the postexercise beverage has a carbohydrate concentration of at least about 13%.
An important object of the present invention is to provide a user with formulations for exercise conditions in which volume of fluid loss is relatively low, such as with exercise of moderate, rather than great, intensity, or exercise performed in environments favorable to fluid conservation, incorporating a preexercise beverage having a volume of about 240-300 milliliters (ml) and a postexercise beverage having a volume of about 300-600 ml.
Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in light of the following drawings and detailed description of the invention.